Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1887-03-19
EDUCATIONAL CHANGES IN THE
SOUTH,
[Charles Dudley Warner, in IIarper's Maga-
zine for March

[Charles Dudley Warner, in Harper's Mags-
zine for March,
There has has been a great change IN
the aspect of the south and IN its senti-
ment within two years; or perhaps II
would be more correct to say that the
change maturing tor fifteen years is
more apparent in period of compar-
ative rest from race or sectional agita-
ton The educational development is
not more mary vellous than the indus
trial, and both are unparalleled In his
tory. Let us begin by an Illustration:
| stood one day before an assembly
of tour hundred pupils of colored
college-called a college, but with a
necessary preparatory department.
children and well-grOwn Young women
and men. The buildings are fine, spa
cious, not inferior TO the best modern
educational buildings either in archl-
tectural appearance or in interior fur
nishing, with scientific apparatus, a
library, the appliances approved by
recent experience in teaching, with ad-
mirable methods and discipline, and an
accomplished corps of instructors.
The scholars were neat, orderly, intel
ligent in appearance. AS l stood for
moment or two looking at their bright,
expectant faces the profound signiti-
canoe of the spectacle and the situation
came over me, and | said: 81 wonder
if you know what You are doing, if
you realize what this means. Here
you are in school the equal of any of
its grade in the land, with better meth
DDS of instruction than prevailed any
where hen | was a boy, with the
gates of all knowledge opened as free
ly to you as TO any youth i'll the land
here, in this state, where only about
twenty years ago it was a misdemean-
or, punishable with fine and imprison-
ment, to teach colored person to read
and write. And l am brought here to
see this fine school, as one of the best
things he can show me in the city, by
confederate colonel. Not in all his
tory Is there any instance of a change
like this in quarter of century; no,
not in one nor in two hundred years.
1t seems Incredible"
This is one of the schools instituted
and sustained by northern friends of
the south; but while it exhibits the
capacity OF the cOlored people tor edn-
cation, it is not 30 significant in the
view we are now taking of the new
south as the public schools Indeed,
next to the amazing industrial change
in the south, nothing is SO striking as
the interest and progress i'll the matter
of public schools. In all the cities we
visited the people were enthusiastic
about their common schools. 1t was a
common remark, II suppose we have
one of the best school systems iu the
country There is wholesome rival
ry to have the best. We fOnnd every
where the graded system and the new
est methods of teaching in vogue.
In many OF the primary rooms in both
white and colOrcd schools, when |
asked if these little children knew the
alphabet when they came to school, the
reply was: "Not generally. We pre-
fer they should not; We use the new
method of teaching words" In many
schools the youngest pupils were
taught to read music by sight, and to
understand its notation by exercises on
the blackboard. In the higher classes
generally the instruction in arithmetic,
in reading, in geography, in history.
and in literature was wholly in the
modern method. In some of the geog.
raphy classes and in The language
classes l was reminded of the drill in
the German schools. In ali the cities
as far as | could learn, the public
money was equally distributed to thu
cOlored and to the white schools, anC
the number of schools bore just pro-
portion to the number of the two
races. When the town was equally
divided in population, the number o
pupils in the cOlored schools was abou
the same as the number in the whit,
schools. There was this exception
though provision was made for hifh
school to terminate the graded fon1
colors, the number in the col0rn ~
school department was Yspn!l ar
small; and the reason given X
and white teachers was thb1Q9 1OJ0r
ed children had not yet Rn1no1lnp 4
it. The colored people pr9flH n ~
of their own race, and Jh14z IA -
generally employed, but 1na54I ~
colored schools have white aokdkeYl
and generally, think, with better re
suits, although saw many thorough,
good colored teachers, and one or tw,
colored classes under them that com
pared favorably with any white classe
of the same grade.
The great fact, however, ia that tn
common, school system has become
part of southern life, is everywher
accepted as a necessity, and usual,
, money is freely voted to sustain il
But practically, as All efficient factor i
civilization. the system is yet undevel
oped in the country districts. Ca
only speak from personal observatiO
of the cities, but the universal TESTING
ny was that the common schools in tn
| country for both whites and blacks al
poor. Three months schooling in tn
year Is about the rule, aud that of
slack and inferior sort, under incopo|
tent teachers. In some places ~
! colored people complain that igndj
teachers are put over them, who
chosen simply on political consideI
, tions. More than one respectable q
Ored man told me that he would
send his children to such schools, 8l
combined with few others to r
them private instruction. The coi0ae
: people are more dependent on publ
! schools than the whites, for while thl
: are vast masses of colored peop30$|
city and country who have neitherf4s
money nor the disposition to ssustA|
: schools, in all the large plnqe4,3l
whites ara abfc-tvhavo o1celiept a
vate .seh6GGge geNAdsI a. Q noda6d Tier
@ Scarcely anywhere -csa the eofore
f people, as. yet have private scho
!, without white aid from somew her
= AT the present rate of progress, al
t even OF the increase OF taX-payiI
b ability, it must be a long time befo
v the ignorant masses, white and blac
!, in the country districts, scattered ov
II a wide area, can have public schools
e all efficient. The necessity is grea
e The danger to the state OF ignorance
!, more and more apprehended. Aud
e is upon this that many of the best IN,
- of the south base their urgent appe
for temporary aid from the ieder
government for public schools. Ii
seen that a state cannot soundly pro
e per unless its labOrers are to some d.
l. gree intelligent. This opinion is show
4 in little things One OF the gre
planters OF the Yazoo Delta told L
1 that he used to have no end of troub
e in settling with his hands. But no
is that numbers of them can read al
a cipher, and explain the accounts to {
others, he never has the least troub
One cannot speak too highly Of I
cnhnnlc nf tho al